Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Results of the American Rivers Conference's Softball Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2019 American Rivers Conference Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2018 Record |
| 1. |
Luther College (5) |
61 |
43-11 OA, 10-6 CONF (Conference Tournament Champion) |
| 2. |
Coe College (4) |
59 |
28-14 OA, 13-3 CONF (Regular Season Conference Champion) |
| 3. |
Central College |
50 |
29-12 OA, 12-4 CONF |
| 4. |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
35 |
22-18 OA, 8-8 CONF |
| T5. |
Buena Vista University |
31 |
21-15 OA, 6-10 CONF |
| T5. |
Simpson College |
31 |
21-16 OA, 7-9 CONF |
| 7. |
Loras College |
30 |
19-20 OA, 7-9 CONF |
| 8. |
Wartburg College |
19 |
17-17 OA, 5-11 CONF |
| 9. |
University of Dubuque |
8 |
8-30 OA, 4-12 CONF |
The Luther College Norse are the coaches' choice to win the 2019 American Rivers Conference regular season title. Luther earned 61 points in the poll, recording five of the nine first -place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own team). 2018 regular season champion, Coe College, garnered 59 points and four first-place votes to take the number-two spot in this year's poll. For capsules on all nine teams, follow here:
NFCA Poll: After finishing 2018 ranked 3rd in the country, Luther opens 2019 ranked 10th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III Top-25 poll. Coe debuts at No.19 and Central at No. 22. The Dutch concluded 2018 tied for 21st.
New Head Coaches: Jeff Lamb joined the University of Dubuque in July of 2018 and was named the 14th head softball coach in the school's history. Lamb comes to UD after finishing his fifth season as Clarke University head softball coach in Dubuque, Iowa.
He also coached Marshalltown Community College, Marshalltown, Iowa, where he served as the Tigers' head softball coach for five years. Lamb served as the head softball coach at Marshalltown High School in 2012 and 2013. Prior to taking the softball reins at Marshalltown, Lamb spent two seasons as the Tigers' assistant baseball coach. He also served as a graduate assistant baseball coach at Georgia College and State University and as a volunteer assistant baseball coach at West Chester.
He played two seasons of collegiate baseball at Marshalltown and was also a member of the baseball programs at Drexel University and West Chester University. He received his bachelor of science degree in professional studies from West Chester University, and his master of science degree in education from Iowa State University.
The Schedule: The 2019 American Rivers Conference schedule begins on Saturday, March 30 with eight of the nine schools in action to open their 16-game league schedule. Schools play a doubleheader versus each American Rivers opponent. On March 30th Buena Vista will host Wartburg, Central will travel to rival Simpson, Loras will play Nebraska Wesleyan in Dubuque, Iowa and Coe will host University of Dubuque. Luther opens 2019 conference play on Tuesday, April 2 with a road trip to Loras.
American Rivers Conference Tournament: The 2019 American Rivers Conference Tournament will be held May 3-4 with the tournament's top seed serving as host. The tournament is a single-elimination format, consisting of six schools. The top two seeds from the regular season standings will receive first-round byes. The two opening-round games are played on Friday with semifinals and the final on Saturday.
The American Rivers Conference tournament champion receives the leagues' automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
* Please note, only returners are listed in the "By the Numbers" sections
| 1st |
|
No.1 Luther College
Head Coach: Renae Hartl (18th season at Luther, W/L: 557/182)
2018 Conference Finish: 3rd
2018 Conference Record: 43-11 OA, 10-6 CONF (Conference Tournament Champion)
2018 NCAA College World Series Qualifier: 3rd-place
- Defeated Lake Fores 11-3 (5) (Regional)
- Defeated Cornell 6-0 (Regional)
- Defeated Saint Benedict 3-0 (Regional)
- Defeated St. Thomas 3-1(Super Regional)
- Lost to St. Thomas 8-11(Super Regional)
- Defeated St. Thomas 10-4 (Super Regional)
- Defeated MIT 6-3 (CWS)
- Lost to Virginia Wesleyan 0-3 (CWS)
- Defeated Case Western Reserve 7-6 (CWS)
- Defeated Illinois Wesleyan 5-2 (CWS)
- Lost to Illinois Wesleyan 1-5 (CWS)
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 2/6
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 2/0
Letter winners Returning/Lost: 10/8
All-Conf Returning: Samantha Bratland (Sr.): (First Team - 2018, 2017, 2016)
All-Conf Lost: Anna Strien, Ashley Burrows, Bailey Victoria, Natalie Stockman
Renae Hartl - "The returners from last year's squad and the coaching staff has displayed a "re-load" attitude since September. We recognize the offense we lost and that our defense is going to look and play much different than a year ago. This also may be the deepest and most talented pitching staffs (lead by 4-year starting battery Samantha Bratland and Addy Pender) we have had in recent history, so we feel confident that they will keep us in every game as we see our new defense and offense grow into their new starting roles."
|
| All-American Totals (While Members of the Conference) |
| Team |
# of All-Americans |
| Luther |
38 |
| Central |
35 |
| Buena Vista |
24 |
| Coe |
20 |
| Wartburg |
19 |
| Simpson |
18 |
| Loras |
1 |
| Dubuque |
0 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan |
0 |
| * The storied Luther program leads the American Rivers Conference in All-American selections with 38. A season ago Luther saw three players added to their All-American list in Anna Strien, Ashley Burrows and Samantha Bratland. 2019 will see Bratland is back in the circle for her senior season. Bratland owned the conference's best ERA in 2018 (0.78). |
| 2nd |
|
No.2 Coe College
Head Coach: Diane Meyer (5th season at Coe, W/L: 108-51)
2018 Conference Finish: 1st
2018 Conference Record: 28-14 OA, 13-3 CONF (Regular Season Conference Champion)
2018 NCAA Tournament Qualifier
- Defeated Trine 12-2 (5)
- Lost to UW-Whitewater 0-1
- Defeated Trine 4-3
- Lost to UW-Whitewater 2-3
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 7/2
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 2/0
Letter winners Returning/Lost: 10/2
All-Conf Returning: Allie O'Brien (Sr) (First Team - 2018, Second Team - 2017 & 2016); Alyssa Olson (Sr): (First Team - 2018, Second Team - 2017, Conf. Pitcher of the Year - 2018); Haley Jones (Sr): (First Team - 2018 & 2017, Conf. Position Player of the Year - 2018); Megan Weber (So): (First Team - 2018); Bailey Smith (So): (Second Team - 2018); Madi Miller (Sr): (Honorable Mention - 2018 & 2017); Maddy Ryan (Sr): (Honorable Mention - 2018)
All-Conf Lost: None
Diane Meyer - "The conference will feature nine talented teams again this season, so every conference play date is so competitive. It's what makes playing in the American Rivers Conference so much fun.
We return a strong group of seniors that have been in conference and non-conference battles for three years and I'm anticipating their experience will be a big help to us; both in their individual play as well as helping to bring our new players along from a team perspective. We are expecting to fill a few holes that have opened up, due to graduation, with some quality freshmen and transfers." |
| 2018 Home Runs (Conf. Games Only) |
| Player |
# of Home Runs |
| Coe |
16 |
| Luther |
8 |
| Buena Vista |
8 |
| Dubuque |
5 |
| Loras |
5 |
| Wartburg |
5 |
| Simpson |
4 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan |
2 |
| Central |
0 |
| * The Kohawks' power at the plate was on display during conference and non-conference play. Coe had a league-best 16 home runs during conference play and a league-high 33 overall home runs. Returning All-American, Allie O'Brien, drove three over the fence during league play and recorded a league-best nine overall home runs. Additionally, coming back for the Kohawks in 2019 are the leagues' Pitcher and Position Players of the Year, Alyssa Olson and Haley Jones. Olson led the league in strikeouts with 75 and Jones recorded a conference-best batting average at .474. |
| 3rd |
|
No.3 Central College
Head Coach: George Wares (35th season at Central, W/L: 1125-384-3)
2018 Conference Finish: 2nd
2018 Conference Record: 29-12 OA, 12-4 CONF
2018 NCAA Tournament Qualifier
- Lost to UW-Oshkosh 2-5 (Regional)
- Defeated Northwester-St. Paul 2-1 (Regional)
- Defeated UW-Oshkosh 2-0 (Regional)
- Lost to St. Thomas 0-1 (Regional)
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 6/3
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 1/1
Letter winners Returning/Lost: 14/7
All-Conf Returning: Sara Tallman (Jr.): (First Team - 2018 & 2017); Daria Parchert (So.): (Second Team - 2018); Kaitlyn Andresen (Jr.): (Second Team - 2018); Lauren Bagby (Sr.): (First Team - 2016); Mariah Fritz (Sr.): (Honorable Mention - 2017)
All-Conf Lost: Annie DeVries, Paige Dickel, Tabitha Taylor, Emily Walton
George Wares - "Key is finding consistency in our pitching staff. Will rely more on short game/small ball. We have a chance to be really good defensively. Nothing really changes much in the league. The reason I think our league is as good as any in the country is the consistent strength of those that finish in the middle and toward the bottom of the standings. Never an easy DH." |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances 2002-Present |
| School |
Appearances |
Women's College World Series |
| Central |
13 |
2 (2003 NCAA Champ) |
| Coe |
12 |
2 |
| Luther |
11 |
5 |
| Wartburg |
6 |
1 |
| Simpson |
5 |
0 |
| * Central has been a consistent NCAA tournament participant over the last decade-plus, leading the league with 13 appearances and claiming the Division III Women's College World Series Title in 2003. Since 1982 the Dutch have been selected to the NCAA post season 28 times. Of those 28 appearances, Central won National titles in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 2003. In addition to their four National titles the Dutch played in the Championship game two other years (1986 and 2001). As the chart above illustrates, the Conference is clearly one of the most impactful leagues in the country with no signs of reining it in. |
| 4th |
|
No.4 Nebraska Wesleyan University
Head Coach: Mary Yori (4th season at Nebraska Wesleyan, W/L: 61/55)
2018 Conference Finish: 4th
2018 Conference Record: 22-18 OA, 8-8 CONF
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 6/2
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 1/1
Letter winners Returning/Lost: 10/7
All-Conf Returning: Kailey Meyer (So.): (First Team - 2018); Morgan Shipley (Jr.) (Honorable Mention - 2018)
All-Conf Lost: Jordan Arndt, Nicole Vana
Mary Yori - "We have some outstanding key returners to lead our youthful team. We hope to be competitive in an always-strong conference"
|
| 2018 Conference-Only Team Batting Avg. |
| Team |
AB-H |
Batting Avg. |
| Nebraska Wesleyan |
458-145 |
.317 |
| Central |
452-143 |
.316 |
| Coe |
446-137 |
.307 |
| Buena Vista |
478-135 |
.282 |
| Luther |
414-112 |
.271 |
| Loras |
428-114 |
.266 |
| Wartburg |
392-102 |
.260 |
| Simpson |
414-103 |
.249 |
| Dubuque |
391-97 |
.248 |
| * The Prairie Wolves will look to keep their bats hot in 2019 after improving from a ninth place .214 average in 2017 to a league-best .317 in 2018. Of the returning league players, NWU's Kailey Meyer has the fourth-best batting average from a season ago at .389. The All-Conference utility player, also working from the circle in 2018, recorded the third-most strikeouts during league play with 40. |
| T-5th |
|
T-No.5 Buena Vista University
Head Coach: Mandie Berneking (5th season at Buena Vista, 79-68-1)
2018 Conference Finish: 7th
2018 Conference Record: 21-15 OA, 6-10 CONF
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 5/4
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 1/1
Letter winners Returning/Lost: N/A
All-Conf Returning: Carlee Guyett (So.): (First Team - 2018); Kate Lesmeister (So.): (Second Team - 2018)?
All-Conf Lost: Keely Bycroft, Autumn Boland, Jeanne Bramhall
Mandie Berneking - "We have a very strong group of impact players returning for the Beavers this year. There will be a lot of familiar faces on the field who have played a huge role in our recent success. However, with nine freshmen added to the squad, we will have a very young group of talented players looking to make a difference, especially in the circle. We have more depth in our pitching staff than we've had in years- excited to see how quickly our younger faces can develop under the leadership of our single returning senior pitcher.
This year more than ever I feel like our conference is strong and rather equal across the board- no matter who gets picked in the bottom half of the conference, they're going to be tough teams with winning overall records. Always an exciting time being a part of the newly named A-R-C!"
|
| 2018 Team Slugging % (Conf. Games Only) |
| Player |
SLG% |
| Coe |
.489 |
| Buena Vista |
.385 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan |
.384 |
| Luther |
.379 |
| Central |
.376 |
| Loras |
.346 |
| Dubuque |
.340 |
| Wartburg |
.327 |
| Simpson |
.326 |
| * The Beaver's slugging percentage was aided by the second-most doubles (25) and home runs (8) in conference play. Buena Vista's strength at the plate a season ago was led by Carlee Guyett. Now in her sophomore season, Guyett brings the league's second-best returning batting average back to the plate in 2019 (.444). |
| T-5th |
|
T-No.5 Simpson College
Head Coach: Brent Matthias (3rd season at Simpson, W/L: 39-44)
2018 Conference Finish: T-5th
2018 Conference Record: 21-16 OA, 7-9 CONF
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 5/4
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 4/1
Letter winners Returning/Lost: 12-6
All-Conf Returning: Emily Bell (So.): (Second Team - 2018); Ashley Allen (Sr.): (Honorable Mention - 2018)
All-Conf Lost: Madison Rasmussen, Kasiah Ehresman
Brent Matthias - "We are excited for the upcoming 2019 Softball Season. Our Simpson team will be young again, but we feel with the returning leadership we are bringing back, it should make for a good group of talented players. We hope to get better every day and play our best!
The American Rivers Conference is loaded with great players and great coaches! With three teams from the conference qualifying for the NCAA Tournament last year this is one of the toughest conferences in the country. There are no easy games and it should be a fun year where anyone could win on any given day!" |
| 2018 Conference-Only Team ERA |
| Team |
ERA |
| Luther |
1.16 |
| Coe |
1.31 |
| Simpson |
2.33 |
| Central |
2.39 |
| Loras |
3.03 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan |
3.12 |
| Buena Vista |
3.32 |
| Dubuque |
5.01 |
| Wartburg |
5.58 |
| * The Storm will look to move their team ERA up in the conference rankings after improving from a 3.70 in 2017 to 2.33 in 2018. After a collegiate season under their belts, Simpson will look for strong seasons out of second-year pitchers Emily Bell and Mary Leopold. Offensively, senior Ashley Allen will look to provide extra bases for the Storm once again in 2019. A season ago she led the conference in doubles (7). |
| 7th |
|
No.7 Loras College
Head Coach: Ashley Winter (10th Season at Loras, 157-176)
2018 Conference Finish: T-5th
2018 Conference Record: 19-20 OA, 7-9 CONF
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 5/4
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 3/0
Letter winners Returning/Lost: N/A
All-Conf Returning: Ashley Lentine (Sr.): (Second Team - 2017)
All-Conf Lost: Savannah Fowler, Hannah Towns, Bria Lenten
Ashley Winter - "I am excited about this group! On and off the field they have been working hard to better themselves as student-athletes. We are eager to compete under the new conference name but know the quality of teams will stay unchanged. We approach each day as an opportunity to prepare us to compete with the best in the country." |
| 2018 Team Fielding Percentage (Conf. Games Only) |
| Team |
PO-A-E |
Fielding % |
| Luther |
309-140-13 |
.972 |
| Central |
343-148-19 |
.963 |
| Loras |
319-140-18 |
.962 |
| Coe |
337-154-23 |
.955 |
| Wartburg |
286-133-21 |
.952 |
| Simpson |
315-151-24 |
.951 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan |
330-140-25 |
.949 |
| Buena Vista |
335-116-27 |
.944 |
| Dubuque |
306-134-29 |
.938 |
| * A season ago the Duhawk defense was strong behind the circle. With the graduation of three All-Conference players who were key components to the defense, Loras will look for those roles to be filled. Offensively, the Duhawks will lean on All-Conference performer Ashley Lentine for her power hitting. With a .490 SLG%, Lentine leads the Duhawk returners. |
| 8th |
|
No.8 Wartburg College
Head Coach: Jamie Mueller (4th season at Wartburg, W/L: 57-57)
2018 Conference Finish: 8th
2018 Conference Record: 17-17 OA, 5-11 CONF
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 6/2
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 2/1
Letter winners Returning/Lost: N/A
All-Conf Returning: Liz Roby - Miklus (Sr.): (Second Team - 2017); Kailee O'Brien (Sr.): (Second Team - 2018, 2017, 2016)
All-Conf Lost: Mara Forsyth, Erica Countryman
Jamie Mueller - "We are looking forward to the 2019 season. The 2018 season had a lot of ups and downs for us, and we learned a lot as a team and as a program. With eight seniors leading the charge and eight new additions to the team, we're excited to continue to grow and focus on our process. We are expecting the conference to be as tough as always, but we plan to be fearless and relentless in the pursuit of our goals." |
| 2018 Stolen Bases / Attempts (Conf. Games Only) |
| Team |
SB-SBA |
| Central |
59-72 |
| Coe |
29-35 |
| Wartburg |
14-19 |
| Simpson |
13-17 |
| Buena Vista |
11-14 |
| Nebraska Wesleyan |
6-9 |
| Loras |
5-8 |
| Luther |
3-5 |
| Dubuque |
1-2 |
| * The Knights were a bit more strategic about stealing bases in 2018 after owning the category for the previous three seasons. During 2017 conference play the Knights gained 55 extra bases on 63 attempts to 2018's 14 gained on 19 attempts. Keep an eye out for senior All-Conference performer Liz Roby-Miklus to get back to her base stealing ways in 2019. Two seasons ago she was she gained the second-most stolen bases in league play. Kailee O'Brien, also an All-Conference performer, will add to the offensive fire power in 2019 as she brings back the conference's fifth-best batting average, of returning players. |
| 9th |
|
No.9 University of Dubuque
Head Coach: Jeff Lamb (1st season at Dubuque, 0-0)
2018 Conference Finish: 9th
2018 Conference Record: 8-30 OA, 4-12 CONF
Position Starters Returning/Lost: 3/6
Pitchers Returning/Lost: 0/2
Letter winners Returning/Lost: N/A
All-Conf Returning: None
All-Conf Lost: Taylor Allard
Jeff Lamb - "We're looking forward to seeing what our young group can do with the leadership from some of our returners. We feel privileged to play in such a great softball conference and hope we can continue to make that conference better day in and day out." |
| American Rivers Conference Coaching Tenures |
| Player |
School |
Season |
| George Wares |
Central |
35th |
| Renae Hartl |
Luther |
18th |
| Ashley Winter |
Loras |
10th |
| Mandie Berneking |
Buena Vista |
5th |
| Diane Meyer |
Coe |
5th |
| Jamie Mueller |
Wartburg |
4th |
| Mary Yori |
NWU |
4th |
| Brent Matthias |
Simpson |
3rd |
| Jeff Lamb |
Dubuque |
1st |
| * Dubuque's Jeff Lamb is the league's only new head coach heading into 2018-19. Lamb came to UD from Clarke University where he served as head coach for five seasons. He compiled a 124-98 record while leading the Crusaders. The Spartans look to get back to the conference tournament after having made three straight appearances in 2013-14-15. |
